How to Reset Windows 10 Password After Locking Yourself Out

Locking your Windows 10 computer with a strong password is a pretty good practice, but you have to memorize the password or write it down on a piece of paper. What to do if you forgot the password or misplace that piece of paper? If you have no idea how you can regain access to your Windows 10 account, you’ve come to the right place.

There are two main types of accounts you can set up on a Windows 10 computer: local account and Microsoft account. Microsoft account is an online email account that lets you sign into multiple Windows 10 devices or Microsoft services, while a local account is an offline account restricted to just a single PC. So if you forgot a Microsoft account password or a local user password, you have to use different password recovery methods for each of them.

This tutorial will show you the secure way to reset forgotten Windows 10 passwords for both Microsoft account and local account when your computer is locked out.

Method 2: Reset Forgotten Local or Microsoft Account Password

But what if you are using a local account for logging into Windows 10? Or you’re still unable to recover access to your Microsoft account? Don’t worry! You can try the best Windows password bypass software – PCUnlocker, which can help you regain access to Windows 10 immediately, no matter you’re locked out of a local administrator or a Microsoft account.

Let’s walk through the steps of using PCUnlocker to reset forgotten Windows 10 password for local or Microsoft account:

Before getting started, you need a working computer to make a PCUnlocker Live USB (or CD drive). Download the ISO image of PCUnlocker, and then download a freeware such as ISO2Disc to burn the image to a USB flash drive.

Now you have a bootable USB drive ready, plug it in your locked Windows 10 PC. When the computer is booting, press a special key (usually F2, F12, DEL, ESC, or F8) to access the Boot Options menu, and select USB as the boot device.

After booting off USB, PCUnlocker will list out all accounts that were found on your Windows 10 installation. If there is a Microsoft account that was set up on your PC, your email address should show up under the “Description” column, next to the linked local account.

Next, select an account you want to reset the password for. If you forgot your Microsoft account password, just select the linked local account and click on Reset Password. The program will switch your Microsoft account back to the local account, and remove its password.

Reboot and unplug the USB drive. You can go ahead and login to your Windows 10 PC without a password!

Conclusion

The above methods should be the easiest ways to reset forgotten Windows 10 password when you’re unable to log in to the computer with Microsoft account or local administrator. These could also help with a lost PIN code, picture password or fingerprint login. Did you manage to regain access to your locked Windows account? Let us know via the comments.

Mehul Boricha is the founder of Tech Arrival & Astute Links. He is a computer and smartphone geek from Junagadh, Gujarat, India. He is a Computer Engineer by Education & an Entrepreneur by Passion. Apart from technology geek, he is an audiophile & loves to connect with people.